Forms for Estate Executors in Illinois

In Illinois, the petition asks the Circuit Court to appoint the personal representative, whose authority is proved by Letters of Office; every appointment goes through the court.

All Planning ahead Settling an estate

8 forms for Illinois

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EIN Application

Get the tax ID number (EIN) banks require to open an estate account or trust account after someone dies.

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Petition for Probate and Letters

In Illinois, the petition asks the Circuit Court to appoint the personal representative, whose authority is proved by Letters of Office; every appointment goes through the court.

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Notice to Creditors

In Illinois, the notice to creditors is published for 3 weeks in a local newspaper, and creditors have 6 months from first publication to present claims.

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Renunciation of Executor

In Illinois, a person named as executor may decline to serve before anyone is appointed.

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Estate Inventory

In Illinois, the personal representative files the estate inventory within 60 days of appointment.

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Estate Closing

In Illinois, the personal representative is discharged by court order, and a final accounting is required unless it is waived.

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Letter of Instruction

Prepare the letter a bank or insurer requests during estate settlement, addressed to its claims department.

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Digital Assets Recovery Letter

Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's online accounts, points, and balances from the program that holds them.

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No. Illinois has no statewide fillable petition form (Petition for Probate of Will and for Letters Testamentary (testate) / Petition for Letters of Administration (intestate) (CCP 0315) is a county form). The petition is drafted to the contents the appointment statute requires and filed with the Circuit Court. E-filing is open to self-represented filers.

The creditor claim period of 6 months runs from the first publication of the creditor notice, which follows the executor's appointment. Every claim is barred 24 months after the date of death, whether or not notice was given.

Within 60 days of the personal representative's appointment.

The default route is independent administration: the personal representative mails or delivers an accounting to all interested persons and files a verified report under 755 ILCS 5/28-11 certifying that creditor notice was published, all claims are paid or barred, all death taxes are paid or provided for, and the assets have been distributed; where signed receipts in full are not filed, the report is mailed and the court, after a 42-day objection window, enters an order discharging the representative and declaring the estate closed.

A person named as executor who will not serve declines the appointment before anyone is appointed; the instrument is a written renunciation filed with the court.

Forms for Estate Executors in Illinois

Probate forms are the documents an executor or administrator files with the probate court from the first day to the last. The petition for probate and letters opens the estate and asks the court for letters testamentary or letters of administration; a named executor who does not want the role files a renunciation instead. Where the estate is small enough, a small estate affidavit collects the property with no court process at all, and an affidavit of heirship records who the heirs are when no estate was administered. Once appointed, the executor publishes and mails the notice to creditors, files the estate inventory at date of death values, and closes the estate with the state's closing statement, final account, or petition for discharge.

In Illinois, creditors have 6 months to present claims after notice, the inventory is due within 60 days of appointment, and the personal representative is discharged by court order. Illinois pays executors reasonable compensation, typically 2.2% to 3.8% of the estate.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated October 10, 2026

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Data sourced from Illinois statutes and official state code. How we research.